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Thursday, February 26, 2015

Once Approved by
Aldermen, Projected Completion of Project to be Fall of 2016

By Mary Wilson

Grandview’s Tax Increment Financing Commission held a public
hearing to hear the second amended plan for the proposed Truman’s Marketplace
shopping center, formerly Truman Corners, on Wednesday, February 11. Joe
Lauber, of Lauber Municipal Law, presented the proposed second amendment on
behalf of the City of Grandview. Lauber represents the City as their special
economic development legal counsel, and in that role he also serves as the
legal counsel to the TIF Commission.

The purpose of the hearing was to hear public testimony on
the proposed amendment to the Truman’s Marketplace TIF Redevelopment Plan. The
original version of the plan was recommended for approval by the TIF Commission
on December 14, 2011, and consequently approved by the Board of Aldermen on
February 7, 2012. After the original plan was approved, some difficulties arose
in obtaining the proper financing terms for the project due to the timing of
the necessary acquisition of the shopping center property.

“As a result of that, the developer filed an amendment to
the original plan in August of 2013 to address a solution to that issue,” said
Lauber.

The first amendment to the plan was recommended for approval
by the TIF Commission on September 11, 2013, and approved by the Board of
Aldermen on July 1, 2014. According to Lauber, as the city and developer teams
worked together on the financing of the first amended plan, additional
difficulties with respect to the financing of the project and control of
portions of the redevelopment area came to light.

“For this reason, the developer submitted another proposed
amendment to the redevelopment plan on January 16, 2015,” said Lauber. “TIF
plans are just that: they’re plans. They are made up of projections and
estimates of how the developer and the city hope the development project will
go. Many times, however, when the plan is implemented, the facts related to the
redevelopment project cause a need to change the plans.”

The city’s goal with the project is to remediate blighted
conditions through a comprehensive renovation of a woefully outdated and
underperforming shopping center that serves as a front door to Grandview,
according to Lauber. The city has selected RED Legacy, the developer, to
implement the plan. Lauber stated that the goal has not changed from the
original adopted plan.

“Some of the details of how this is expected to be
accomplished have changed,” said Lauber.

The second amended plan changes are as follows:

• The developer will buy the shopping center using private
sources of funds when bond documents are substantially complete and a bond
parameters ordinance is adopted, prior to bond issuance.

• There will be minimal demolition, the project will consist
primarily of remodeling exisiting structures.

• The total project cost decreased from $87,672,000 to
$75,666,486, or 13.7% less.

• The developer’s portion of financing the project will be
31.4% if subordinate debt is paid back, or 38.9% if subordinate debt is not
paid back. The public financing portion will be 44.69% if subordinate debt is
paid back, or 37.4% if subordinate debt is not paid back. The rest will fall
under third-party financing.

• The first amended plan had the developer’s return on
investment at 12.69%, with the second amended plan showing the developer’s
return at 9.91-11.51%.

• The first amended plan broke the project into thirteen
different redevelopment projects. The new plan has four redevelopment projects,
with RED Legacy completing projects 2 and 3.

• Initial financing will be private for acquisition of the
shopping center, and includes city-backed TIF bonds that are taxable
special-assessment bonds only and TIF revenue bonds.

• $34,000,000 in bonds has been requested for the project,
with $31,200,000 for the developer.

• The developer is to buy $5,700,000 in subordinate debt.

“Based on the information provided, we believe that the
commission should recommended that the Board of Aldermen affirm the findings
made when they adopted the original TIF plan with the amended and restated
plan,” said Lauber. “The developers have a lot more skin in the game than at
any other point as we’ve gone through this process.”

Aaron March with the White Goss Law Firm, on behalf of RED
Legacy, stated that RED and the city continue to work hard and diligently
together to get the Truman’s Marketplace project going. After determining that
project one, the former Sam’s Club property, wouldn’t move forward on
development, RED decided to continue on with their plans under the assumption
that project one might not happen.

“The amendment you have before you is the project we want to
start in April,” said March. “We want to get started as soon as the city passes
the ordinance moving the bond documents forward. We’ve got the tenants, the
same tenants we had before, and we will renegotiate to move them into the
revised project.”

March and his team are no longer relying on project one, a
supposed big-box retailer, to happen. He stated that if project one doesn’t
materialize, they will still be happy with the project.

“I’ve worked with a lot of developers nationwide, and 99.8%
of them would have walked from this project a long time ago,” said March. “RED,
to their credit, has said, ‘no, we don’t do that. We perform.’”

While the vision of the project from its original form has
changed, March stated that RED is teed up and ready to get to work. He said it
is a vision that can be implemented without exposing the city’s general fund to
risk.

“As with most citizens in the city of Grandview, I’ve been
watching this project progress, or not progress, through the years,” said
Grandview resident Sam Samarasinghe during the public comment session of the
hearing. “We are on the third year of looking at this project, and the only
updates we’ve gotten are little signs stating another six months. I hope this
is the last six months we give them, as there has been a significant lack of
progress. It’s a seventy-five million dollar project and we’re getting a fresh
coat of paint? That’s not what the citizens were promised.”

Ultimately, the TIF Commission unanimously voted to recommend
the second amendment to the Truman’s Marketplace TIF Redevelopment Plan to the
Board of Aldermen for approval. Prior to adoption of an ordinance, a public
hearing before the Board of Aldermen will be held on Thursday, February 26, at
Grandview City Hall, 1200 Main Street. A copy of the proposed amendment is
available for inspection in the city clerk’s office.

Friday, January 16, 2015

By Mary Wilson

The South Kansas City Alliance welcomed Jackson County
Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker to their monthly meeting on Monday, January 12.
Prior to being elected to her current position in November 2012, Peters Baker
served in many capacities in the prosecutor’s office, working in nearly every
unit.

“I love my job. I have a great, hard, lovely job,” said
Peters Baker.

The prosecutor’s office undertook an ambitious challenge
upon the arrival of Peters Baker to establish an anti-violence movement in the
Kansas City area, called the No Violence Alliance, or NoVA. Peters Baker said
that NoVA is all about collaboration between law enforcement, prosecutors and
the community.

“If anyone is under the impression that one person or one
entity can get something done, you’re probably mistaken,” said Peters Baker.
“My goal is to make sure I further my partnerships.”

Peters Baker will be meeting with Wyandotte County District
Attorney Jerome Gordon and the KCK Chief of Police, due to the “imaginary line”
that divides Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas. She sees the
importance of building the collaboration across state lines to share
information.

“Criminals know no lines,” added Peters Baker. “The people
that harm their community harm my community and I want to make sure that we are
dealing with them the way we ought to. Sometimes, that is with a very firm
hand. ”

The major objective Peters Baker had in coming to the
prosecutor’s office has been to address violence. While she has concerns in
other crimes, such as stolen autos and burglaries, her main concern lies with
violence, especially when it puts the community’s children in harm’s way.

Upon taking office, the homicide rate in Kansas City was at
the top of the leaderboard nationwide, according to Peters Baker, competing
often with Detroit and other cities known for violence. These statistics came
as a shock to the prosecutor, who said that it seemed as if Kansas City was
accepting of those numbers.

“Every year, sometime in November, we’d hit that number
100,” said Peters Baker. “One-hundred homicides in Kansas City per year, and
we’d go over it. I thought, that is just unacceptable. It’s wrong and it’s not
who we are. It does not have to be who we are.”

She went to work to find a program that would best address
Kansas City’s number one problem: violence. She sought a program that was
evidence-based, studied by the academics and had proven results. That’s what
she, along with Mayor Sly James and Chief of Police Darryl Forte, brought to
Kansas City. After roughly two years into the anti-violence movement, at the
end of 2014, Kansas City saw 77 homicides.

“That’s great and I’m very proud of that,” said Peters
Baker. “I’m also very disappointed in that number because 77 is still much too
high.”

Peters Baker said that while the national homicide rate is
roughly 4 per 100,000, Kansas City ranked at 23 per 100,000 in 2013. In 2014,
Kansas City was around 16 per 100,000 homicides.

“Any reduction is a reduction to applaud and be happy
about,” said Peters Baker.

The downside to those statistics is that Peters Baker is
dealing with a seven-year-old victim fighting for her life after being struck
by bullets while driving down a Kansas City highway with her family. Another
example is an unsolved homicide in KCK of a 7-month-old boy, and another of a
ten-year-old girl remains unsolved. She also spoke of a two-year-old that lost
his life after an act of child abuse by his caregiver.

“He’s actually our first homicide of 2015,” said Peters
Baker. “There’s more, but I guess what I have to tell you is that Kansas City
seems like a really awful place to be a child. I can’t tell you how angry it
makes me when children pay the price for our violence problem. I find it
completely unacceptable.”

She added that in 2015, Kansas City as a whole has to do
better than in 2014 despite the market improvement.

“It is still not good enough,” Peters Baker said.

Peters Baker said that while the violence problem in Kansas
City can feel a bit hopeless, it can be corrected. When a family is affected by
violence, it impacts the community, which brought forth the KC NoVA effort.

“We believe we can further reduce that number,” said Peters
Baker.

The collaboration relies on prosecutors, police, the
community and pastors, to deliver messages of hope and redemption. If hope and
redemption are offered and not taken, Peters Baker said that her office is the
next step.

“If violence happens, it’s not just one person; everyone in
that network is going to get hit,” said Peters Baker. “So we warn them. We
bring these folks in that we have identified are engaged in a life of violence
and we offer them another path.”

Social services workers are present to offer a real solution
to violent offenders. Peters Baker said the main message is simple: don’t shoot
people; don’t hurt people.

“Some people need the help to get out of that cycle,” said
Peters Baker. “Not everyone is going to listen to us, and that’s where the law
enforcement side comes in. We’ve got to be tough and we’ve got to be ready to
handle the kind of violence that happens in our city.”

Of the 77 homicides, Peters Baker’s office filed more murder
in the first degree charges than any other prosecutor in Kansas City. She
credits that to the collaboration brought forth by KC NoVA.

“Violence begets more violence,” said Peters Baker. “You’ve
got to stop it before it begins, or there’ll be more violence. We need to
intervene and let them know there’s another way.”

KC NoVA is supported by its partner agencies, which have
donated personnel, time and equipment, as well as outside funding from local grant
makers, including the Greater Kansas City LISC (Local Initiative Support Corp.)
and Jackson County COMBAT.

Friday, January 2, 2015

by Mary Wilson

Despite heated discussion at the regular session of Grandview’s Board of Aldermen last Tuesday, December 23, the board granted an additional two years for four bars to comply with the Clean Indoor Air Act, originally adopted in July, 2011.

The original ordinance provided for smoke-free air in workplaces and public places. After considering several options, it was the final decision of the board to provide a three-year exemption for bars, whose primary business was to serve alcohol, and would provide a phase-in period for those businesses. That period afforded them time to transition to a different business model, install outdoor seating, or otherwise prepare for compliance by August 1, 2014.

At the time of its adoption, there were four bars that met the requirements of the ordinance: Elbow Bend, Doghouse Bar, Pete’s Place and Corner Bar. During their December 16, 2014, work session, the board discussed the extension of the exemption for bars. During that discussion, Ward 3 Aldermen Jim Crain and John Maloney were vocal on their position to not grant the exemption. The newest alderman at the table was conflicted about which way his vote would swing.

"I’m not a big fan of government control and I’m not a big fan of breathing smoke in," said Ward 1 Alderman Michael Allen. "I feel passionate about both things, so I’m still up in the air as to which way to go."

With Ward 1 Alderman Sandy Kessinger and Ward 2 Aldermen Brian Hochstein and Annette Turnbaugh voicing support for the extension, and Mayor Leonard Jones, whose vote would only be considered in the case of a tie, also showing support for the extension, it was clear that the new ordinance would pass.

During the regular session, before the final vote on the ordinance, Maloney was the first to provide his thoughts.

"I was one of the three aldermen who voted no originally on this which then sent it back into discussion," said Maloney. "We debated everything from six months to three years on an extension. It passed with a unanimous decision and nothing has changed during that time with the dangers of second-hand smoke. More importantly, there hasn’t been one legal argument to amend this ordinance."

Maloney pointed out that the board has not heard from any of the bar owners in recent months prior to the board action last week.

"I think it’s a slippery slope to change an ordinance when it’s rightfully written," added Maloney. "It’s not outdated, and it’s not in noncompliance with the law by any means. This will financially benefit a very select few."

Alderman Crain was the next to voice his concerns over the potential changes to the original ordinance, and read his comments aloud after asking to have them verbatim in the meeting minutes.

"After months of whining and complaining, a compromise was crafted to create a special class of business apart from all other classes," said Crain. "We agreed to a three-year exemption for four bars… to give them time to transition to a different business model to prepare for compliance. Here we are, four months after the compliance date contemplating another two-year extension."

Crain went on to say that since the compliance date passed in August, the law has not been enforced due to direction given to the police department by Mayor Jones.

"I feel another exemption sponsored by personal friendships is not only improper, but perhaps illegal," added Crain. "To my knowledge, the four businesses have done nothing to satisfy the purpose of the original exemption, and, guess what? Two years from now they will be back again."

Showing support for the exemption, Alderman Hochstein was the next to speak.

"The two most important provisions that were initially in this ban; and furthermore, the exemptions were that there are warning signs at the entry stating that smoking is allowed in this business," said Hochstein. "Additionally, there was a condition that was included for a revocation, or a removal of the ban, should any of the bars lose their license(s), change location, or have a change of ownership. So, at this point, we still have four bars that qualify for the exemption."

Hochstein pointed out that he is in favor of all aspects of the clean air laws, and supported the previous ban as a citizen.

"The four businesses currently cater to patrons who choose to smoke," added Hochstein, "and these businesses have been operating in this manner for their entire existence. The customers here know the deal. These are bars, their patrons are adults, and a lot of them are smokers. Those that are not choose to enter an environment where they fully understand the risks of what they’re doing."

Alderman Turnbaugh stated that her relationship with the four owners of the bars has been in a strictly business format for a long as thirty years or more.

"To imply I would put personal friendships above my duty as an alderman is impugning my integrity," said Turnbaugh.

Ultimately, the vote was split down the middle, and Mayor Jones broke the tie in favor of the amendment to the Clean Indoor Air Act of 2011. The limited exemption for the four bars will end on August 1 2016.

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Mama Kansas City and Her Sixty-five Boys

A Local Woman’s Story on How Lost Boys from Sudan Saved Her Life

By Mary Wilson

As families across the country gathered around their tables this week to focus on being thankful, one local woman concentrated not on what she has to be grateful for, but whom. Gina Kerns Moreno, who owns Integrity Staffing Specialists with her sister, Betty, and husband, Reno, knows she has so much to be thankful for, despite hard times in her life.

Moreno and her husband have four children, two each from previous marriages, and she defines her marriage to her first husband as being married to the "devil." The children from this marriage were not Moreno’s, but as step-parents often do when combining families, she fell in love with the boy and girl as if they were her own. The "devil," as Moreno describes, was abusive to her and the children, and eventually the marriage ended due to a massive gambling debt he accrued.

While Moreno was still married to the "devil," the kids were in a foster home after their mother, who was in prison, signed away her maternal rights. When the foster family expressed interest in adopting them, Moreno discovered that there was no money left for her to fight for custody of the children.

"He had $18,000 on one credit card from getting money at the boats," said Moreno.

At that time, she knew in order to get the kids, they would have to file for bankruptcy. In order to protect herself and her own assets, Moreno left the "devil" and the kids, while remaining in contact with the children over the years.

"He filed bankruptcy and I lived on $50 a week for many years because I was $90,000 in debt because I did not file for bankruptcy," said Moreno, "$30,000 of which was for getting the children."

After several years, the older of the two reached out to Moreno and reestablished a connection with her and her new husband.

Moreno is currently in her 34th year in the employment industry, working her first five years at Missouri Job Service and then working for a global employment service in which she was very successful. Eventually, she ended up working for a company called Dan-D Services, owned by the Dittoe family.

"For eight years working there, there was a lot of bad," said Moreno. "The good thing was while I was working at the Independence office, and through my work meeting people from all walks of life, I worked with the Don Bosco Refugee Center."

She worked with Dennis, from the Don Bosco Center, who was a political refugee from Bosnia, and in March of 2001, he came to visit Moreno and Dennis told her about the Lost Boys from Sudan.

"He said, ‘We’ve got a bunch of boys coming, and we don’t know how many we’re getting,’" said Moreno. "My big deal was, if I’m going to help any of them, they have to be able to read, write, understand and speak English. He assured me that they would all speak English."

He explained to Moreno that the government was bringing the orphans to the United States and they would be given free apartments for three months, after which they would have to start paying for their own living expenses as well as the $850 cost of the airfare to get here.

"I thought, okay, I can do this," said Moreno. "Nothing ever happened with it, and I kind of forgot all about it. Until one day in August, in came Dennis with two vehicles full of nine boys in our front door. They were so thin and so tall. He told me, ‘Gina, these are the Lost Boys I was telling you about.’"

They all introduced themselves to her, and she knows she did not even remember their names due to the shock of them standing in her office. They all needed jobs, so Moreno got to work to find placement for the nine. The next day, nine more came in. And then more the next day. In total, Moreno handled the job placement for 65 Lost Boys in Kansas City.

"That first group, I don’t even know how to describe the emotions I felt for them," said Moreno. "I had been through this horrific marriage. I left those kids and I promised them I would never leave them. I had Reno, who is the best person in the world, and I still felt like something was missing in my life. When they walked in that office and introduced themselves to me, I was bound and determined, I didn’t care what I had to do, I was going to get those boys jobs."

Moreno was successful in finding them jobs. One in particular, named Joseph, came in when Moreno was not in the office and was assigned to a job at a furniture manufacturer. She decided, after being told that Joseph was small, to go by the next day and check on him.

"He instantly grabbed my heart," said Moreno. "He was so little, and he wanted to be a doctor."

Joseph one day told her about how much he loved eating the "hamburger sandwiches" from the vending machine. They talked often when Moreno would visit with him at work, and eventually Joseph brought her a VHS tape. When she got home that night, she put the tape in, and it was a 60 Minutes story that featured Joseph and the story of the Lost Boys.

"Before then, I had no idea what these boys had been through," said Moreno. "I wailed. I didn’t cry, I wailed. It featured Joseph in Kansas City and a boy named Abraham in Atlanta."

Joseph had been one of two boys picked to follow on their journey, starting back at the refugee camp in Kenya. In the story, the need for mentors for the boys in America was advertised, and Moreno went to work to find out what she needed to do to be a mentor.

"By this time, we had our 65 boys who were employed and doing pretty well," said Moreno. "When I found out about the mentors, I contacted the Don Bosco Center to find out more information."

Moreno was informed that there were certain financial requirements in order to qualify. Living on $50 a week, she explained that was all she had for gas, cigarettes, clothing and food. She could not be a mentor to the Lost Boys. She was told she could mentor people from other countries, but she refused.

"After I saw the video, I called every friend, every family member, everyone I knew, and we all got involved," said Moreno. "None of us had money to give, but we did what we could to help."

Moreno recruited Virginia Bell from the Hosanna Lutheran Church in Liberty, who, together with her women’s group and Dan-D Services, eventually paid back the airfare for all the boys in Kansas City. With up to nine boys living in an apartment, Moreno and those she recruited to help, including her best friend Susie from her hometown of Clinton, went into the apartments and discovered the horrible living conditions the boys were in.

"They didn’t even know how to work the alarm clock," said Moreno. "One would stay up all night and watch the clock, waking the others when it was time to get up."

The volunteers Moreno brought together pooled their resources and furnished the boys with food, clothing, blankets, toiletries and other necessary items.

"It took a long time, and we separated the donations in our office," said Moreno. "We’d then take all the donations around to the boys, and take everything in and show them how to use it."

They also established 100 Hot Dog and 100 Hamburger nights, where the boys would learn to cook hot dogs and hamburgers, and it became a regular night for Moreno’s volunteers and the Lost Boys. Over the years, Moreno became known by the boys as Gina Mama Kansas City. She continued to help them out with their needs, and they became a part of her family.

"The experiences that we’ve had, just having them in our lives, has made a huge difference," said Moreno. "They’re not just the Lost Boys of Sudan. They’re grown men and they are a part of our family. God put me there, I believe, at a moment in my life to give me the part of myself that was missing and to let me be fortunate enough to take this journey with them."

A lot of the boys are still in contact with Moreno and her family. Some still rely on her for advice. Joseph is currently in another country working on his education to become a doctor. Most recently, a film was released that was loosely based on Moreno’s story with the Lost Boys, called The Good Lie.

"I’ve stayed out of the spotlight, I’m better in the background," said Moreno. "There have been so many laughs, and so many tears. I would not have changed anything. I didn’t save them, these boys saved me."

Thursday, November 20, 2014

By Paul Thompson

The Cerner Corporation officially broke ground Wednesday,
November 12, on the largest economic development project in the history of
Missouri.

Cerner’s new $4.45 billion Trails Campus, to be located at
the former site of South Kansas City’s Bannister Mall, is expected to create up
to 16,000 new high-paying jobs over the next ten years. Cerner’s Zane Burke –
the CEO of the 35-year-old health care technology solutions company – discussed
the new development in an official ground-breaking press conference.

“This campus is proof of our commitment to the area, and our
commitment to growth in Kansas City,” said Burke. “There are jobs that don’t
exist today.We’re not relocating, we’re
not back-filling, we’re not consolidating; these are new jobs that we hope to
fill with a homegrown, Kansas City workforce.”

Those new employees will be spread throughout two data
centers, a service center, a training/conference center, an on-site daycare and
health center, and 4.3 million square feet of office space at the new campus.
In addition, Cerner has set aside space for retail development, which will
include restaurants and an on-site hotel.

“Once completed, it will truly be a development that Kansas
City and all of us can be proud of,” said Burke.

The development is expected to invigorate what has been one
of Kansas City’s most blighted areas. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, in town to
celebrate the ground-breaking, acknowledged that there were some outside of
Kansas City who thought Bannister Mall couldn’t be redeveloped so quickly.

“If you had told somebody five years ago that an old and
blighted shopping center, full of nothing but empty parking lots, deserted
after decades of decline, would one day be home to the largest development
project in the history of our great state, with more than $4.4 billion in
investments and 16,000 high-paying jobs on the way, they would have said, ‘it’s
impossible,’” Nixon stated.

Kansas City Mayor Sly James was also on-hand for the
monumental event. James noted that while the development is a great boon for
South Kansas City, it will help the rest of the metro area, as well.

“To make an investment like what we’re celebrating today,
you have to have vision, and you have to have guts,” said James.“It’s not only pivotal, it’s catalytic.
That’s absolutely crucial to the people who live in this part of town, it’s
absolutely crucial to the growth of Kansas City, and to the tax base of Kansas
City.”

Southern Communities Coalition co-chair Carol McClure stated
her support of Cerner’s multi-billion-dollar investment in the area.

“This is a big day for South Kansas City. It is exciting to
be here today for the ribbon cutting of the new Cerner Trails Campus,” she
said. “It has taken better than a decade for this to happen, but the
community’s support has always been there. We never gave up the notion that
South KC would thrive again. On the horizon is Oxford on the Blue and
Northpointe, both on 87th Street. This is all good news!”

Thursday, October 23, 2014

By Mary Wilson

Damon Hodges, project manager with Kansas City Public Works,
welcomed guests to the completion of the first phase of Martin City’s 135th
Street improvements on Thursday, October 16. The $9.1 million overhaul of the
street has been divided into three sections. Phase one included 135th
Street from Holmes to Oak; phase two will include from Oak to Wornall, with an
anticipated start date by summer of 2015; and phase three includes Wornall to
150 Hwy.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said 6th District
Councilman John Sharp. “Martin City is really a hidden treasure for Kansas
City, and hopefully it won’t be so hidden now that we’re finally putting in the
infrastructure that is long overdue. With so many great restaurants and shops,
this is an entertainment mecca.”

Sharp added that Martin City is an area of Kansas City that
receives a high percentage of visitors from Johnson County. Phase one was completed
with a strong partnership with the county’s significant financial support, as
well as the Martin City Community Improvement District.

“When you want to attract an upscale customer, it has to
look nice,” said Sharp. “Now it does. We’re going to be working very hard to
get the rest of the money we need for phase two.”

6th District Councilman Scott Taylor added that
the Kansas City Public Improvements Advisory Committee (PIAC) unanimously
contributed $2.3 million to the project.

“We all feel strongly in supporting Martin City,” said
Taylor. “You can see the impact it already has. It’s much more family-friendly
with sidewalks, and our hope is that this will attract new business and make
this more of a destination.”

Taylor also said that Martin City is a revenue-driver for
the city of Kansas City, bringing in new funds from neighboring cities. Taylor
added that as chair of the city’s first ever Small Business Committee, he will
continue doing whatever he can to make it easier for businesses to open in Martin
City. The city has kept that commitment throughout the construction, passing an
ordinance for a microbrewery in Martin City.

“We’ve set up a microloan program, a small business loan
program, through the city in partnership with the Small Business Administration,”
said Taylor. “You can receive up to a $50,000 loan to get a business started
and help fill up some of these empty spaces so that we have full capacity in
Martin City.”

Parties interested in the city’s microloan program can
contact the Kansas City BizCare office at 816-513-2492, or by visiting the
city’s website at www.kcmo.gov.

Friday, October 3, 2014

A Column by Mary Wilson, Editor

For the third year in a row, I walked along Main Street with
kids from Grandview as they celebrated one of the rites of their high school
careers: Homecoming. This year, with their faces painted and their letter
jackets on, the students at Grandview High School took to the community to
garner support and encouragement from businesses and residents.

That support was incredibly lacking. As I geared up with my
camera, finding the best spot to photograph the action, I noticed something
that really hit a nerve. Before Main Street was closed off to traffic for the
parade, several of the businesses surrounding mine, in the heart of Main
Street, closed up shop and the owners and employees drove away. There were only
a handful of families with small children who made the trek to show their
support and maybe get a piece of candy or two.

The rest of Main Street was a ghost town. Whether it was a
lack of the school district publicizing the event, or if people were simply too
busy on their Friday afternoon, the Grandview community was noticeably absent.

The Grandview School District most recently scored, for the
second year in a row, Accredited with Distinction on the Missouri School
Improvement Plan grading system. Grandview High School has students with
amazing abilities, both academically and athletically. Teenagers thrive on
positive reinforcement, and not just from their teachers and parents.

Not too many years ago, when I was in high school, I
remember Main Street was full of life on Homecoming Friday. Businesses would
hang banners in support of Grandview High School, and the community would come
together to build floats, hand out candy, and simply be present. Now it’s as if
doors are closed, blinds are shut, and we go about our business as if nothing’s
happening.

What changed in the last few years? Where’s the community
when our kids are literally begging for attention?

This Week's JC Advocate

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